Craft Beer 101

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September 25, 2017

Article Tyler Roberts | Photography Debora Cartwright

Beer Guide

Amber Ale: The American amber ale has medium-high to high maltiness with medium to low caramel character. They are characterized by American-variety hops, which produce medium hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. American ambers are usually darker in color, have more caramel flavor and less hop aromatics, and may have more body.

Pale Ale: An American interpretation of a classic English style. The American pale ale is characterized by floral, fruity, citrus-like, piney, resinous, or sulfur-like American-variety hop character, producing medium to medium-high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. American-style pale ales have medium body and low to medium maltiness that may include low caramel malt character.

Lager: A widely available, sessionable craft beer style that showcases both malt and hops. Amber lagers are a medium-bodied lager with a toasty or caramel-like malt character. Hop bitterness can range from very low to medium-high. Brewers may use decoction mash and dry-hopping to achieve advanced flavors.

Brown Ale: Roasted malt, caramel-like and chocolate-like characters should be of medium intensity in both flavor and aroma for the American brown ale. American-style brown ales have evident low to medium hop flavor and aroma and medium to high hop bitterness.

Indian Pale Ale (IPA): Characterized by floral, fruity, citrus-like, piney or resinous American-variety hop character, the IPA beer style is all about hop flavor, aroma and bitterness. This has been the most-entered category at the Great American Beer Festival for more than a decade, and is the top-selling craft beer style in supermarkets and liquor stores across the U.S.

Wheat Beers: Color is pale to light amber. This beer can be made using either ale or lager yeast. American wheat beer is generally brewed with at least 30 percent malted wheat. These beers are typically served with the yeast in the bottle, and pour cloudy. Traditionally more hoppy than a German hefeweizen, American wheat beer differs in that it should not offer flavors of banana or clove. It is a refreshing summer style.

Stout: The American stout is a coffee- and chocolate-forward ale, but with a hop aroma and flavor, often from a citrus-forward variety. American stouts are bold, with a distinctive dry-roasted bitterness in the finish. Fruity esters should be low, but head retention high. The addition of oatmeal is acceptable in this style and lends to the body and head retention.

Sour: The acidity present in sour beer is usually in the form of lactic, acetic and other organic acids naturally developed with acidified malt in the mash, or produced during fermentation by the use of various microorganisms. These beers may derive their sour flavor from pure cultured forms of souring agents or from the influence of barrel aging.

Pilsener and Pale Lager: American lager has little in the way of hop and malt character. A straw to gold, very clean and crisp, highly carbonated lager.

You drink Bud Light. Always have, always will. Or maybe it’s wine. You have studied the varietals, contemplated the years and developed a sophisticated palette. You tell yourself that craft beer is not your thing. It is a fad…that you like to stick with what you know.

But in Southern California, craft beer is as ubiquitous as the sunshine. No matter how determined you are to remain loyal to your drink of choice, you admit you are intrigued. The names on the beer taps grab your attention. They are titillating, whimsical and sometimes daring.

Giving into temptation, you decide to order a craft beer and take that first sip. But with so many to choose from, where do you even begin?

Jeff Kiser, an award winning home-brewer and graduate of the University of California San Diego’s brewing program, said newcomers should look at two things. First, consider the International Bitterness Unit, or IBU, which measures the bitterness of a beer on a scale of zero to 100 and sometimes beyond. A beer gets its bitterness from the hops that are used in the brewing process, Kiser explained, meaning that hoppy beers like IPAs, Double or even Triple IPAs will have an especially bitter bite to them. For the unaccustomed beer drinker, Kiser recommends trying a lighter ale, pilsner or wheat beer with a low IBU measurement as a starting point and going from there.

The second thing to look for is the alcohol by volume, or ABV, measurement. Most domestic beers have ABV measurements that hover between 4 and 6 percent, for example.

“You want to get closer to something you have tried, and you only want to step up a slight bit to something that is maybe 5.5 or 6.5 percent range,” Kiser said. “Most breweries are going to have their starting beers around that range, but a lot of their beers go way past that at some point.”

Looking at a beer menu, you can narrow down the list of beers you want to try by the IBU and ABV measurements, but what about those strange notes and aromas following the beer names? One beer is described as floral and juicy. Another is described as citrusy and tropical. There is even a beer described as dank. This is simply a brewer’s way of describing the types of aroma hops used to give a beer flavor, Kiser said.

“Everyone has a different palette, some people may be more curious and willing to try out something new” said Ben Fairweather, president of Culver Beer Co.

As more people are introduced to the craft beer world, breweries are recognizing the need for basic consumer education. At Culver Beer Co., for example, beers are color-coded on the brewery’s tasting room menu, helping customers find beers they may like. Ale Houses like 83 Degrees in the Village update their selection “chalkboard” daily and as kegs run out or “blow”.

If you do not want to commit to drinking full pint on your first order, most bars will understand. Simply ask for a sample or two to test out your taste buds, Kiser said. Alternatively, you can order a flight of beer, which is a sampling of several beers of your choosing.

San Diego County is home to some of the world’s best breweries. With Kiser’s tips, you can enter any one of their tasting rooms and find something to your liking. Have a conversation with the person behind the bar, ask them questions and let them draw you in to the world of craft beer.